Save Me A Seat: Social Networks and Longitudinal Segregation in Elementary Students’ Lunchroom Seating Choices

• In Event: 287 - Section on Sociology of Education Paper Session. School, Peer, and Neighborhood Effects

Abstract

Existing research on segregation in student friendships has been limited by its reliance on self-reported ties and by its lack of attention to the mechanisms that produce patterns of segregation over time. This study seeks to fill these gaps in the literature using social network data collected through a longitudinal, ethnographic study of students’ lunchroom seating choices in elementary school. Using exponential random graph models, we find that friendship nominations underestimate the level of segregation in students’ peer interactions, particularly with respect to social class. Students’ seating choices, in turn, are guided in part by social and structural factors, but also reflect lingering preferences for same-gender and same-social-class (though not same-race) peers. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on segregation, social interaction, and the reproduction of inequalities. We also encourage network scholars to collect and analyze more interactional evidence of friendship ties.

Authors

• Jessica McCrory Calarco, Indiana University

• Weihua An, Indiana University

• William R McConnell, Indiana University-Bloomington